BANV BUZZ

2013 Nuc Hive Notes

Anyone who is condent they will have spring 2013 nucs to sell to student and other BANV members, may go to the club website and complete the producers form. http:// beekeepersnova.wordpress.com/ club-activities/spring-nuc-program/ spring-nuc-program-suppliers/ If you are not condent, wait until you are condent and then complete the form. I will keep it up on the website through June. If you have volunteered to mentor, give some thought to making a nuc with your student! DO NOT FORGET TO MAKE ARRANGEMENTS TO HAVE AN APIARY INSPECTION (Contact: Mr. Bob Wellemeyer beeswax7@wildblue.net). The form for ordering nucs will not go up until March. Students will have priority over club members. I will send out a notice when this form is posted. Once orders have been placed, I will give the sellers information to the buyer so you can work out your own deals. Julie Waser
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE DC Bees- New Legislation Queen Rearing VA Grants? Hive Monitoring August EAS Meeting Vanishing Bees VSBA Update Outreach (Volunteers needed)

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2013

Spring has sprung/the grass has riz/ wonder where the owers is Not the most elegant couplet, but one that may be more commonly uttered in February, rather than March or April, than in years past. Yep, the seasons they are a'changing, or accelerating, perhaps. I saw robins the second week of January, many trees are budding, the long leaves of bulb blooms are emerging from what should be frozen soil, and apart from some isolated frigid days it seems we have another balmy Winter. Not as warm and un-wintry as last year, thank goodness, but be ready for the bees to surge past your planning and be prepared to act early implementing your IPM practices. Along with the burgeoning of Spring comes the enjoyment of bringing new beeks into BANV via our beginner's
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The Presidents Hive Stand

classes. Thanks to all who are mentoring (see you at the special Mentoring session on 26 Feb) and thanks to everyone who makes these new beekeepers welcome. Our class offerings are an important way to sustain BANV's membership we lose about one-third our numbers each year so new blood is necessary to keep our numbers at a level to afford being a club. Insurance, special programs, our multi-media presence, and more all take funding and at an exceptionally low $10/year for membership, class fees are essential for the club to survive.Folks just drift away from beekeeping, maybe because it's more challenging as the years go by,
continued on page 2

2013 Calendar Items of Note February 26 - Mentoring Workshop March 26 - Adopt Budget Dave Tarpy, Assoc. Prof. Entomology, NCSU April 23 - Packages, Nucs and Splits The Basics

Write to: beekeepersnova+editor@gmail.com We prefer concisely written material, rather than suggestions & hints. Inclusion depends upon space available, timeliness, and/or relevance. Thanks

NEWSLETTER | Jan-Feb 2013

President...

producer. It's crucial to think big picture when it comes to beekeeping nowadays! The big picture for this year's activities include continuing our monthly programs to bring you talks from regional or national speakers, plus featuring local talent (you!) to share your passion for beekeeping. We also want to respond to more of the outreach requests the club receives. If you have a topic you'd like to hear about, let me know. If you can give some of your time to tell others about beekeeping, please join the Outreach team. Thanks for your continuing support and good luck with your Spring apiary projects. -Rob McKinney

maybe because the club doesn't quite meet their needs (I'll be looking at your inputs on the membership survey to learn more about that). So to those of you who stick around and encourage our newcomers to remain, thanks! Another sign of Spring is the excitement of making plans to handle swarms, make splits, sell nucs, buy or replace gear...ain't it grand? Please consider being part of our nuc program and thinking sustainable when you make your plans to expand your apiary and re-queen hives. Club members can help you decide which way to jump when it comes to obtaining a local queen, nding a frame of drones to expand genetics in the local DCA, or even picking a reputable regional queen or nuc

Upcoming Meetings
"The February 26th meeting is dedicated to all the Mentors helping our new class of beginners. Please join Billy Davis and your fellow mentors for an evening of tips and wisdom and stories and questions. If you are a new Mentor, here's your chance to gain some insights on your role from the other side of the mentor/student relationship. And if you are an experienced mentor, please share your tricks! Bring snacks and prepare for a useful open forum to help you help the newbees! Our March 26th meeting features Dr. David R. Tarpy, Associate Professor and Extension Apiculturist at NC State University, who will speak on genetic diversity in the hive. He will give his presentation following the annual budget vote. Please mark your calendar to participate in an important club vote and then enjoy our guest speaker."

Report on Virginia Legislative Matters from VSBA

The Virginia General Assembly has been in session for a couple of weeks. This session is a short session (45 days). Im going to try to bring you up to date with some issues going on in Richmond. As most of you know Governor McDonald removed the funding for the grant in his proposed 2013 budget. Governor McDonald had approved the funding in the last session for 2013-2014. The grant had some bad editorial press in the Richmond area when the Governor approved the funding. But Im not sure who if anyone got to the Governor on this funding. A few days before the legislature went into session the Governors budget became public. I was informed that the Governor had removed the grant funding in his proposed 2013 budget. I immediately contacted Senator Deeds and Delegate Ed Scott about the funding. They both assured me that they would introduce a budget amendment to reinstate the funds and both of them have done so. Also Senator Hanger has signed on as a cosponsor. We will not know where we stand until the nal budget is proposed which will be about the last item to go back to the Governor. Delegate L. Scott Lingamfelter from Woodbridge,VA introduced HB1839 (by request). If I understand this bill and it becomes law no beekeeper in the state of Virginia who is not state inspected will be able to sell honey except to the end user. This would wipe out everything we got passed two years ago. I called Delegate Lingamfelter to nd out more about the bill and who made the request. Delegate Lingamfelters Legislative Assistant and I played phone tag for days. I nally sent him background information on past legislation and the problem with honey bees in Virginia. With this and the help of others in Richmond the legislation was tabled in committee this past Monday (28th) by a voice vote. We will need to monitor this just in case it raises its head again. See this link to the committee report. http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/ legp604.exe? ses=131&typ=bil&val=HB1839&sub mit=GO Delegate Robert D. Orrock, Sr, from Thornburg,VA, introduced HB1852. This legislation deals with labeling. At this point it should not affect beekeepers who are in the not inspected program. But all food products (honey, tomatoes, etc.) from an inspected facility will have to be labeled that it was state inspected. On Monday (28th) this legislation was passed in committee with amendment. See this link to the legislation. http:// lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe? 131+ful+HB1852 -Lannie Ballard VSBA Legislative Chairperson

NEWSLETTER | Jan-Feb 2013

BANV Queen Program The Queen Rearing Group will again be providing queen cells or virgin queens free of charge to BANV club members. Queens will be available starting in May, depending on weather. Watch for more information as well as a sign up link coming soon on the BANV website. If you had a surviving queen from last years program, please provide updated information when requested. This data is important for us to improve the program for you. Thanks!-Norma Epley

This Month in the Beeyard

Reports are coming in from all over the mid-Atlantic of very heavy losses of beehives this Winter. Even a normal winter (since the advent of Varroa mites) may result in losses of 30-35% of hives. It is reliably reported that maple and other blooming trees are doing well in the deep South, and the package producers there are taking thousands of orders. Nuc producers in our area are hoping for good results, too. So cleaning up in preparation for Spring is a timely topic, as replacement bees should be available even if there are serious losses. Start with the veil and the hive tool. Check the veil for needed repairs. If your veil has a hole big enough for a bee or two, you may experience the extreme pain of a bee sting around the eyes. The hive tool should be sharp enough to shave off extra propolis and wax from the wood of a frame or super, without gouging the wood. This may also be a good time to re up the grill and burn off any built up gunk and bacteria on the metal. Get the metal to at least 300 degrees for a few minutes. Clean up any spare hive tools as well. Clean up dead hives by scraping out the inside of the boxes. Elsewhere in this newsletter you will nd items from experienced beekeepers about how they disinfect supers that may have come from diseased hives. Combs and frames from hives that died of starvation may be reused, after all the dead bees are shaken out. Combs and frames from diseased hives should not be recycled. The wax should be broken out and used for candles, or the entire frame and comb should be disposed of where other bees will not be able to get to them. Frames make great kindling, by the way. Bottom boards and inner covers need to be carefully cleaned and disinfected as well, or disposed of as trash. This is a good time to organize your toolkit and tear up cotton scraps or burlap for smoker fuel. Clean out the smoker and check the bellows for leaks. Consider transporting and storing the smoker in a metal box, rather than without protection. If you keep an epinephrine injector in your bee kit, check to see if it has expired. Gloves (if you use them) may benet from some lanolin or hand cream. The bee suit or jacket that you wore all last season may be sufciently ripe that it may benet from a wash. Take any spare propolis out of the pockets, however, as it will turn the suit bright yellow if left in the wash. The Beeyard itself may benet from a cleanup. Trash or broken equipment should be disposed of, and the hive stand or platform may need to be reinforced. After cleaning, set up the equipment in a ready-toreceive bees condition, and then completely block the entrance to keep out mice. Do not put any frames with honey in the equipment until right before adding bees. This will keep the honey from freezing, and will also avoid damage to frames from raccoons and other varmints. By mid-March, the maples will be in bloom in our area. Willow, alder, and exotic ornamental plantings brought from other continents to add color to our neighborhoods, will offer pollen and nectar. In a few sheltered locations, crocus and even dandelions will bloom. For surviving hives, late March can be a time of tremendous growth and acceleration. By the rst week of April, you will want to check each surviving hive for honey or syrup and pollen.

POLLINATOR PLATES YOU CAN STILL APPLY, AND PLEASE DO!

Did you know? Foxhunters of Virginia have their own license plate! If they can do it, so can we! Foxhunters vs Pollinators hmmm, whats wrong with this picture? It is not too late to apply for Pollinator plates we need to build up to 450 applications in order for the state of Virginia to produce a new plate, and according to the website below, were just over halfway there. For more information on the process, please contact: Samantha Gallagher 240-298-3570

NEWSLETTER | Jan-Feb 2013

Counting the Vanishing Bees

Despite the economic stakes, a decades-long scientic narrative of bee decline and growing concern about an acceleration of this decline, New York Times Blog Item there is no xed network for tracking January 16, 2013 bee populations. No one really monitors bees, said A new method for monitoring the decline in bee populations may prove Sam Droege, a biologist at the United States Geological Survey and a coa useful tool in much-needed conservation efforts. It requires only a author with Dr. LeBuhn. Talk all you few hundred pan traps: bright shallow want about declines, but its based on nothing, really no census, no bowls partly lled with soapy water survey. or propylene glycol. A critical feature of the published When United Nations experts program is its ability to capture very noticed that crop production was agging in seven countries around the slight population changes of 2 to 5 percent in a small window of time, world, from Brazil to Nepal, they thereby acting as an early-warning contacted Gretchen LeBuhn, an system. Insect populations naturally associate professor at San Francisco go up and down a lot, Dr. LeBuhn State University who studies bees. said. Because theyre so variable, The U.N. thought that the problem detecting a trend can be hard. might be tied to a decline in bee An even subtler and more intractable populations, Dr. LeBuhn said. I was hired to see if it would be feasible to challenge is identifying bees once theyve been collected. Outside of monitor this decline. about a half-dozen experts across the Her results, published in the most recent issue of Conservation Biology, country, very few people can efciently identify bees by genus, outline the new monitoring method, much less by species. which is remarkably cheap and efcient for tracking national, regional A lot of effort will be required for retraining the next generation of or global bee populations. At any of these scales, the pan traps can do the taxonomists, said Sydney Cameron, an entomologist at the University of job at a cost of less than $2 million Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a over ve years. science adviser to the Bumblebee Globally, insect pollination is responsible for almost $200 billion of Specialist Group at the International Union for Conservation of Nature. agricultural production every year, For the most part, grants available to with 70 percent of the main crops taxonomists have shriveled as used for human consumption dependent on pollinators. The annual specialties like genomics gain ascendance in biology, Dr. Cameron contribution of pollinators to said. But this may be a case of essential ecosystem functions like throwing out the baby with the water and habitat health, though not bathwater, she said. We need directly valued by markets, likely taxonomy to understand whats exceeds $200 billion. happening in the biological world. By DYLAN WALSH In the case of agriculture, poor productivity of a particular crop could be caused by the disappearance of a single, very efcient pollinator. Without data at the species level, this crucial fact might be overlooked. Mr. Droege, who is among a handful of expert bee taxonomists, is using the ndings from the article in Conservation Biology to build a national monitoring network that he hopes will include a partnership with Canada. He will probably be the projects sole identier of specimens. But even with the development of a network, there is no central repository, federal or private, for the data. Dr. LeBuhn directs The Great Sunower Project, a citizen-science program with 100,000 volunteers reporting daily pollinator observations. She is not sure what to do with the vast and growing collection of information. Im sitting on an amazing data set, she said. If I got hit by a car tomorrow, somebody would probably do something with it, but its not feeding into anything like the U.S.D.A. To underline the importance of systematic monitoring, Dr. LeBuhn recounted how a former student, Quinn McFrederick, surveyed bumblebees in San Franciscos urban parks in 2004 and discovered that a bee species that had been one of the citys most common ones in the 1990s had disappeared entirely. Wow, I thought. The most common bumblebee in San Francisco disappeared, and none of us noticed, not even me, a biologist, Dr. LeBuhn said. That really got my attention.

NEWSLETTER | Jan-Feb 2013

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Beekeeping Now Legal Under New D.C. Law The Sustainable DC Act of 2012, which includes the Sustainable Urban Agriculture Apiculture Act of 2012, was signed by the Mayor today. Beekeeping is now legal in Washington, DC with the previous law repealed. Thanks to the dozens of beekeepers and hundreds of friends who wrote in support! http://ddoe.dc.gov/release/mayorvincent-c-gray-signs-sustainable-dc-act More DC Beekeeping News -Toni Burnham I know this does not concern the majority of you, but I want to point out that even for suburban beekeepers, your world changed a little bit today. It's just downtown, but this is a rising tide that will help protect you from infringements on your own opportunities to keep bees. This afternoon, the DC Council voted unanimously to approve an amended Sustainable DC Act of 2012 (B19-756) which includes Top Bar Hive and rooftop beekeepers' comments and concerns in the nal bill. I cannot stress two things enough here: One: This law is not perfect but any attempt to take this any farther this late in the game will derail the legalization process for as long as anyone sitting on the council is still there. I guarantee it -No One Will Want To Work With Us Again. Even getting the amendments for TBH and roofs caused some public embarrassment, and there is NOTHING a leader likes less than public embarrassment. Two: We will soon have legal protection, which is great, but we have to make sure we are protected from our protectors, the regulators. We need to build better communication and collaboration channels with the Ofce of the Mayor to be sure that we are consulted. The guts of the bee part of the bill that is heading for the Mayor's desk is below. [The text of the D.C. law referred to by Toni in the article has been placed on the BANV website.]

Disinfecting Wooden Ware from Winter Deadouts

-Jimmy Nguyen Okay after reading some more about alternatives to clorox bleach, I stumbled upon the less popular hydrogen peroxide. It doesn't leave behind toxic residues or fumes like bleach and it ghts bacteria, mold, and mildew. Some people use it to clean off counter tops and clean mirrors as it doesn't leave streaks. Supposedly, bleach water is not good on porous materials like wood as only the water is soaked in by the wood and the sodium hypochlorite is left on the surface, leaving the "bad" microorganisms inside the wood untouched. However, people do use hydrogen peroxide to clean off cutting boards and kill salmonella and other bacteria because it can get into those tiny pores on wooden surfaces. So maybe hydrogen peroxide is an alternative. I also read somewhere on the world wild (sic) web that they are looking at mixtures with hydrogen peroxide to kill American Foulbrood: (http://www.ibra.org.uk/ articles/A-hydrogen-peroxideperoxyacetic-acid-biocide-forcontrol-of-AFB). Two disadvantages of hydrogen peroxide are: - About 5 to 6 times more expensive per uid ounce than clorox bleach. - It's cleaning power is degraded by light (that's why they keep it in those dark bottles). So probably have to clean stuff with it indoors and/or let it soak longer than you would bleach water. Anyways, I'm not sure about spraying anything directly on frames besides powered sugar, but I suppose cleaning the hive bodies with hydrogen peroxide is safe. And maybe it's safer for you and the environment than clorox bleach. Anyone have any thoughts on hydrogen peroxide? Disinfecting Winter Deadouts (continued) -Ernie Becking It is a good idea to disinfect any wooden ware that comes off a dead-out or any hive suspected to have a disease problem. Recently, I have treated all of my equipment as it has been removed from use. The easiest way to do that is to buy what is known as a "Weed Dragon". It is a propane torch that hooks to a 20 pounds propane cylinder like that used on BBQ grills. It is about 3 feet long with a 10 foot hose, puts out a 100,000 BTU ame and sounds like a jet engine. Only a few seconds are required to ame the inside of a hive body. Home Depot has a similar item in the welding equipment section for about $50. It is denitely not for use on comb and is probably a bit too much for thinning carrots.

In-Hive Fungal Control of Small Hive Beetle

From Australia comes a 69 page research report on the use of an in-hive fungus to control SHB. The full document has been uploaded to the BANV website. See the following link: http:// beekeepersnova.les.wordpress.c om/2013/01/ inhivefungalbiocontrolofshb_12-0 12.pdf -Charles Walter

NEWSLETTER | Jan-Feb 2013 BANV Buzz The BANV Newsletter

The BANV Buzz is scheduled to be published about 10 days before each regular membership meeting. The deadline for submission of materials is 14 days before each scheduled meeting, and should be sent to the editors at beekeepersnova +editor@gmail.com or copy can be handed to one of the editors or the President at any meeting. A schedule of meeting dates is easily found elsewhere on this website.

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the online application, applicants may submit electronic copies of a Request for Taxpayer Identication Number and Certication form (IRS Form W-9) and any itemized receipts from the purchase of qualied items. Applicants may also send required documentation to the mailing address or FAX number below. Applications will not be processed until a completed application and required documentation are received. Please be advised that processing of applications received by mail or fax may be delayed. Regular Mail Address: VDACS Ofce of Plant Industry Services Beehive Grant Program 102 Governor Street, Room LL55 Richmond,VA 23219 FAX: 804-371-7793 -Keith Tignor Ofce of Plant Industry Services Virginia Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services

Virginia State Bee Grant Program Are There Any Funds?

The Beehive Grant webpage (http:// www.vdacs.virginia.gov/plant&pest/ hivegrant.shtml) has been updated to include a link to an online grant application. The application was to have been activated on January 1, 2013. The link to the application will take users to a log-in page for the Beehive Grants Program Online Registration, where updates should be available. First time users will need to create a VDACS Online Account using the link on the Online Registration webpage. A VDACS Online Account may be created prior to the January 1 start date for the grant. However, individuals will not be able to logon to submit a grant application until January 1, 2013. Once activated the information and The newsletter is documentation required in order to apply distributed as an email for a Beehive Grant may be submitted attachment and can also be through the online application. Along with downloaded from the BANV website. For WV Beekeepers Association Cacapon Resort State Park Berkeley Springs, WV those members who do Spring Meeting April 12th and 13th, 2013 not use email, copies are Hosted by the WV Eastern Panhandle Beekeepers Association placed in the regular mail. - Friday, April 12 11:35-12:00 Vendor Break The best materials are 3:00 pm-6:00 pm Master Beekeeper 12:00-1:00 Lunch Testing 1:00-1:50 Dr. Eva Forsgren - Problems & focused on beekeeping in 7:00 pm-9:00 pm Vendor Displays Possibilities of Beekeeping in Cold the mid-Atlantic region. Social Time & Displays Climates Pictures are a welcome Mead Demo & Tasting 1:55-2:40 Breakout Sessions addition to the newsletter, - Saturday, April 13 2:40-3:25 Dr. Delaplane - The Super as are announcements and 7:00-8:00 Registration Organism II letters on topics of interest 8:00-8:15 President's Welcome: Greg 3:25-4:00 Drawings, nal to beekeepers. We do not Castle announcements, and meeting adjourned -Break Out Sessions 8:15-8:35 State Report: Paul Poling generally use articles that Adrian Kelley: Presenting Beekeeping to 8:35-9:00 Legislative Committee have already been Schools and Private Organizations Report: Dan O'Hanlon published by others. Herb Everhart: Nectar Flows and 9:00-9:50 Mr. David Miksa - Florida BANV of course reserves Harvesting Honey Queen Rearing the right to exercise Maxine Walter: Card Making Class 9:50-10:05 Break Paul Poling: Managing Your Hives for the discretion in what it 10:05-10:50 Dr. Keith Delaplane - The Honey Flow (hands-on) Super Organism I chooses to include in the 10:50-11:35 Dr. Jeff Pettis - Honey Bee Buzz. Health

NEWSLETTER | Jan-Feb 2013

indebted and grateful the club is to Pat and Jim for their work. Jim and Pat then thanked the club for the award. Julie Wasser then explained the Nuc program for the upcoming year and mentioned there is new information about the program posted on the BANV website. Members who are interested in either buying or providing Nucs can ll out a form on the website. Interested new students will have rst priority for the available Nucs. Paul Diehl then made an announcement about a beekeeping class that is available through the Arlington Co. Adult education program. Information for the class is available on the Arlington Co. website. Dane Hannum and Larry Kelly then announced that the rst shipment of packaged bees from Georgia will be delivered March 20, the second shipment will be April 6th. They have about 100 packages still available*. Prices are $ 77 for an unmarked queen package and $ 80 for a marked queen package. Dane's number is 703-525-6396, Larry's number is 703-887-1204. Leading off the Show-and-Tell portion of the evening, Roger Willhelm demonstrated a swarm

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catching device he fashioned from a 5 gallon plastic bucket, pruner pole, rope and pulley. Ernie Becking showed a mold form and gave a recipe for making sugar bricks he uses to feed his bees. He also demonstrated a jig he constructed for assembly of hive box frames that insures they are square when constructed. Tom Griener show some devices he has made that help him keep his hive tool, bee brush and ashlight in easy access when he works a hive. He also showed a device he has made and used for trapouts, when attempting to remove a hive of bees from inside of house walls. Rob McKinney showed his embroidery-hoop produce mesh queen marking tool. Frank Linton then demonstrated a bee box that can be used for nding the location of a bee's home hive by baiting a syrup trap and using it to establish a group of foragers to bee-line to their hive. Brenda Kiessling then demonstrated a quiet box that she uses when working a hive. It enables the beekeeper to have only one frame at a time exposed when opening a hive box. The meeting was then adjourned at 8:50 pm. -David Thompson

BANV Meeting January 22,2013

Fifty ve members attended the January meeting which featured our annual Pot-Luck Dinner. A marvelous assortment of food was presented to the attendees, and an enjoyable meal was had by all. President Rob McKinney began the meeting at 7:40 pm and announced the rst beekeeping classes will begin on February 13th. He suggested anyone interested in helping out with either February or March class please contact Julie Wasser or Tom Harding. Brenda Kiessling was recognized and spoke about a project she is initiating to make an oral history of BANV. After she nished describing the project and explaining the costs involved, Rob made a motion that was seconded by David Michaelson, that the club provide funds of up to $300 for expenses for the project. The motion was passed by the members present. Carolyn Foley then talked about the BANV Lifetime Achievement award, rst created and given last year to Bennie Liles. This year Pat and Jim Haskell were recognized for their many years of numerous contributions to the club and its members. Carolyn, Rob and other members spoke about how

*Editors note: Dane reported that they are sold-out as of Feb. 18, 2013

4-H Club News

The 4-H beekeeping club has begun the new year with plenty of excitement! In February, the club created homemade candle molds for making our own beeswax candles to practice after the presentation/ explanation given by our very own team leader Brenda Kiessling in December. We have plans to make a lm documentary about harvesting a wild bee

tree, also. An ongoing discussion on Drone Congregation Areas (DCAs) with continuous speaker Todd Harding is gaining speed monthly and will lead to a eld search of our own for some Drone Congregation Areas sometime in the spring. Who knows what else 2013 might have in store for the 4Hers! -Abby Fry, 2 B A BEE 4-H club Secretary to help with agendas, content, and teaching.Seminars are expected to be held starting in late March/ early April. To learn more, contact David via email dvdmueller@gmail.com

Bee-curious Beginners Series Seeks Input A short series of seminars designed for bee-curious folks and beginner beekeepers is in the early stages of planning. The seminars will be held at Arlington

County's Fairlington Community Center in cooperation with the Virginia Cooperative Extension.David Mueller, a BANV member & almost-second year beekeeper is leading the effort and currently seeking volunteers

NEWSLETTER | Jan-Feb 2013

When: 19 20 April (Friday / Saturday), 9:00 am 6:00 pm Where: River Farm, 7931 East Boulevard Drive, Alexandria,VA 22308 (American Horticultural Society HQ) What: Man the BANV display booth and conduct a one hour educational presentation on honeybees each day. Approximately 10 volunteers all levels of beekeeping experience are needed to man our BANV table throughout the day. 2-3 per shift is ideal. 2-Be-A-Bee 4-Hers are highly encouraged to attend. Dozens of organizations, exhibitors and vendors from northern Virginia will participate in this Green Environment Plant Sale event. Opportunity to sell honey, so if you would like to, please let Martha know so we can coordinate. Details: See www.ahs.org/ river_farm/ spring_garden_market.htm for more details and directions. POC is Sylvia Schmeichel, American Horticultural Society, (703) 768-5700 ext. 115, ssschmeichel@ahs.org. Event is free to exhibitors. 3. FAIRFAX COUNTY SPRINGFEST CELEBRATION (ANNUAL EARTH DAY, ARBOR DAY and CLEAN FAIRFAX CELEBRATION) at the Workhouse Arts Center, Lorton, VA ***Honey Sale Event**** When: 27 April 2013, 8:00 am 5:00 pm Where: Workhouse Arts Center, 9601 Ox Road, Lorton VA 22079 (old Lorton Prison)

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What: Approximately 20 volunteers all levels of beekeeping experience are needed to man our BANV table throughout the day. 3-4 per shift is ideal. 2-Be-A-Bee 4Hers are highly encouraged to attend. Dozens of organizations, exhibitors and vendors from northern Virginia will participate in this Green Environment focused event. This year we are allowed to sell honey, so if you would like to, please let Martha know. Details: What better way to celebrate Spring and Earth Day by participating in this dynamic and growing event!! Volunteers should coordinate what hardware, gear, and observation hives to bring. 2 hives were perfect last year. POC for the event is jen@cleanfairfax.org 4.WHOLE FOODS MARKET BEE PRESENTATION, Springeld VA When: TBD Where: 8402 Whole Foods Market (in the caf), Old Keene Mill Road, Springeld,VA 22152 What: Conduct an educational seminar at the Whole Foods community (employees and interested customers), on the honeybee, pollination in general, pollinator friendly plants, and what can be done to help the honeybee. Details: 1-2 volunteers needed for this indoor event. Handouts would be appreciated.

OUTREACH - CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS

How to Volunteer: Please call Martha Kiene at 703-451-0234 or email at kienebee@yahoo.com or beekeepersnova +outreach@gmail.com Current Events Scheduled: 1. Honeybee / Beekeeping Presentation for the Springeld Acres Garden Club When: 26 March 2013 (Tuesday), 1100-1:00 pm Where: Kirkwood Presbyterian Church, 8336 Carrleigh Parkway, Springeld,VA 22152 What: One volunteer needed to conduct a one hour seminar on beekeeping, local pollinators and pollination plants. Invited to attend the luncheon following the presentation. Audience is approx 20-25 local women who are members of the garden club. Handouts on local pollination plants would be appreciated. Details: The 1 hour presentation will discuss beekeeping in general as a hobby, pollination of plants and local pollinators, and types of local plants that attract honeybees. The presentation will include an observation hive and a discussion of the hive as a community and what can be done to sustain/ improve the local honeybee population. POC is Gail Nittle at gnittle@gmail.com 2. AMERICAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY SPRING GARDEN MARKET, Alexandria VA.

NEWSLETTER | Jan-Feb 2013

EAS 2013 Comes to Pennsylvania

The Planning Committee for the 2013 Conference& Short Course is proudtointroduce not one, but two, keynote speakers for our annual event!

Dr. Mark Winston,Simon Fraser U

Mr. Brian Snyder, PA Association for Sustainable Agriculture

The keynotes will be delivered on Wednesday, August 7, 2013 . . . but wait, let me take a step back for those of you who haven't been to an EAS Conference week before. The format of this annual event follows: This year, the "Short Course" spansMonday through Wednesday.The tracks in 2013 will include Core and Advanced Sessions, and a curriculum on Queen Rearing, Top Bar Hive Management, Natural Beekeeping, Sideliners and Train-the-Trainers. On Wednesday, though, the Conference and Workshop Series beginswith the keynote addresses and ends with a social gathering at a local picnic ground. If you're not too tired by quittin' time on Thursday, you should attend the annual Auction Dinner, which is a fundraiser for the research grants that EAS awards each year. Starting Wednesday, your favorite vendors of beekeeping supplies, books and gadgets will be on hand with their wares. In the samevendor area will be bee fabric for the quilters, bee art & jewelry andmuch, much more! And, oh yeah - there's a HONEY SHOW with prestige and prizes to be won. Admit it, you're proud of your bees' work! So bring it, enter it and show it off! By Friday, you will have met so many new and interesting people, you will want one last chance to get together with them before it's over - the Annual Banquet! Pennsylvania's own Maryann Frazier is ably organizing the program for Wed. through Fri. Invited speakers are conrming their intention to be with us and pinning down the titles of their talks and workshops. Check the EAS websiteoften for conrmed speakers, lodging information andotherupdates. There's so much to see and do in and around West Chester, PA that you may want to make it your family vacation! Spend a day or two touringtogether inPhiladelphia,Valley Forge or Dutch Country. By Wednesday, they'll know their way around on their own and you can get back to the conference! Or stick around an extra day at the end and enjoy the PA State Beekeepers Association Picnic, complete with a "hive crawl" and mead tasting, in a nearby urban area on Saturday August 10. Pennsylvania beekeepers will welcome you warmly! See you in August!

NEWSLETTER | Jan-Feb 2013

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Queen Rearing Class to be Offered in Virginia Blue Ridge and Fauquier County
Those folks interested in queen rearing who cannot take the Larry Conner 3 day seminar at Graves Mountain Lodge which will be in early May again, may enjoy this class with Mike Church offered at VA Bee Supply- class is in Southern Fauquier County/Remington,VA "Queen Rearing" Class Saturday, April 13th, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm (approx.) Learn to produce queens for your hives or for prot! Special guest instructor, Mike Church, will instruct students on the various techniques of queen production. This class includes "hands on grafting" and other methods. In addition to receiving a class CD, students will receive their own grafting tool. Class registration will be $40.00 per person for the 4 hour session. For group registrations, each additional person will require a $15.00 registration fee & will receive a grafting tool only. All registrations include morning snacks. Contact vabeeclass@aol.com to register. -Karla Eisen Karla6311@hotmail.com The Beehive of the Future? For those of you interested in the beehive of the future :) [I'm hoping it will be the near-future.] As many of you may know, I'm interested in using technology to monitor the goings on inside a beehive, both to reduce the need to disturb the bees by inspecting them and to get early warnings of problems. I've pulled together all the web activity I've been able to nd regarding colony monitoring and put it all in

For those of you that do outreach and education on beekee ping, the link below provides a fac t sheet that can be handed out at exhibit booths, sales areas, educ ational programs, and even to pe st control managers. I also have acc ess to a small amount of posters and other material on native pollin ators. -Paul Steblein http://www.fws.gov/pollin ators/ pdfs/ Reducing_Risks_to_Poll inators_fro m_Pest_Control_factsh eet.pdf

Educators Handout

one place http://colonymonitoring.com with links to the original sources. Feel free to check out the site and tell me what you think. Last summer I had a workshop at EAS that got 6 colony monitoring researchers from the US and Europe together, and two of them presented more hive tech at national bee conferences this last week. The ball may have started rolling. -Frank Linton

BANV OFFICERS 2012-2013

President 1st Vice President 2nd Vice President Secretary Treasurer Rob McKinney Rick Haynes David Michaelson David Thompson Steve Johnson beekeepers+president@gmail.com beekeepers+1vicepresident@gmail.com beekeepers+2vicepresident@gmail.com beekeepers+secretary@gmail.com beekeepers+treasurer@gmail.com

Workerbees
GIS Mapping Librarian Membership Mentoring Newsletter Team Outreach Queen Program Recognition Spring Nuc Program Webmaster Chelsie Romulo & Jeny Beausoleil Frank Linton Terri McPalmer Amy Bennett John Fraser & Chris Dugmore Martha Kiene Norma Epley Carolyn Foley Julie Waser Kamalesh Kalarickal beekeepers+gis@gmail.com beekeepers+librarian@gmail.com beekeepers+membership@gmail.com beekeepers+mentoring@gmail.com beekeepers+editor@gmail.com beekeepers+outreach@gmail.com EpleyBeeks@yahoo.com beekeepers+recognition@gmail.com beekeepers+nuc@gmail.com beekeepers+webmaster@gmail.com